getting an air tight seal on FV's

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MrWoolf

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I kicked off a 23L FV yesterday and i have had issues trying to get the cap to seal correctly as its missing the rubber ring. i know its not 100% important but i want to see the air lock bubbling away. I have prevously tried super tightening the cap and a good smear of vasoline but that was very messy and did not work very well.
Today I tried something new - Cling flim!

Roll out about 2ft length of standard kithchen cling film, so it goes twice round the groove in the cap

Roll the length into a sausage

Pack the sausage into the groove inside the cap, i used the end of a fork to help guide it into place, dont pull it too tight as it will keep jumping out the grove.


fit the lid to the FV. I didint have to tighten it very much before the airlock started bubbling away!

WP_20170716_21_16_15_Pro (2).jpg


WP_20170716_21_16_42_Pro.jpg
 
Yup, as a novice it is quite un-nerving not seeing air comming through the lock, especially on the first batches. I learnt to listen for the rice crispy noise on my first one.

May help someone
 
I got a Cooper's kit, and their FV's aren't airtight and and don't have an airlock. Think I'll buy a "proper" one for my next brew and keep the Cooper's FV as a bottling bucket. It's got a tap and everything.
 
@Thumper - a word of warning not all FV's are airtight make sure you get one with ridges round the edge of the lid as these are more rigid and seal better my Youngs FV is like these below and is airtight the cheaper one without the ridges isn't.




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I prefer the bucket type of FV as there is no risk of a tap leak they are easy to clean and you can put your hydrometer in the bucket and read it easily.
 
I like a tap because I don't want to chuck my hydrometer in the bucket, and the tap lets me draw a trial jar. But I was thinking a bucket is easier to clean. I'll have a look around, the Homebrew Shop has one with a tap that I think is airtight.
 
I have recently started using the lids on my fermeters again after using cling film over the top for the past few years.I put vaseline around the rubber gasket and get a good seal I then cature the CO2 in a collapsible water container until it is blown up like a balloon. The captured gas is then used to keep the beer in the casks oxygen free as I draw beer from the cask using the beer engine the vacuum draws in the CO2 keeping my cask beer from oxidising.
 
You could get a plain bucket and a little bottler and make bottling day less of a chore, i have a little bottler on my syphon tube and its one of the best things i have bought.



[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o1qKGdA0etA[/ame]
 
The Coopers kit came with a bottling stick, are they not much the same thing? Though I admit the Coopers one leaks like a sieve.
 
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